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| Charlton boss Meire part of select female football club | Charlton boss Meire part of select female football club |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| Katrien Meire probably didn't imagine when she sent a friendly email to the club she supported that it would eventually lead to her becoming one of the very few female executives in English football. | Katrien Meire probably didn't imagine when she sent a friendly email to the club she supported that it would eventually lead to her becoming one of the very few female executives in English football. |
| But that is exactly what happened to the 30-year-old Belgian, who has been chief executive of Championship team Charlton Athletic for nine months. | But that is exactly what happened to the 30-year-old Belgian, who has been chief executive of Championship team Charlton Athletic for nine months. |
| She is a rare breed in the male-dominated world of football - joining Sunderland boss Margaret Byrne and West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady as female powers in the boardroom. | She is a rare breed in the male-dominated world of football - joining Sunderland boss Margaret Byrne and West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady as female powers in the boardroom. |
| So what does this former student of University College London make of life in the often macho world of the English dugout? | So what does this former student of University College London make of life in the often macho world of the English dugout? |
| "First of all I am a football fan - you cannot do this job if you are not a supporter," she says, having grown up as a keen supporter of Sint-Truiden, currently in the Belgian second division. | "First of all I am a football fan - you cannot do this job if you are not a supporter," she says, having grown up as a keen supporter of Sint-Truiden, currently in the Belgian second division. |
| "I am in this role because the owner believes in me. He also believes that women are better than men at managing budgets. | "I am in this role because the owner believes in me. He also believes that women are better than men at managing budgets. |
| "I haven't felt I have been treated differently from men, it has been positive so far," she adds. | "I haven't felt I have been treated differently from men, it has been positive so far," she adds. |
| "Sometimes in meetings, for example, it can be an advantage - I am not just another guy in a suit. | "Sometimes in meetings, for example, it can be an advantage - I am not just another guy in a suit. |
| "But of course it is up to me to prove that I am talking common sense too." | "But of course it is up to me to prove that I am talking common sense too." |
| Career change | Career change |
| She worked for law firms Olswang in London and then Baker & McKenzie in Brussels before being offered the chance of a dramatic career change by Belgian businessman Roland Duchatelet in late 2013. | She worked for law firms Olswang in London and then Baker & McKenzie in Brussels before being offered the chance of a dramatic career change by Belgian businessman Roland Duchatelet in late 2013. |
| In 2011 she had offered to help Mr Duchatelet - at the time the Sint-Truiden owner - in a wrangle he was having over the selling of TV rights. | In 2011 she had offered to help Mr Duchatelet - at the time the Sint-Truiden owner - in a wrangle he was having over the selling of TV rights. |
| "I just sent him an email offering to help if I could, because competition law was my area of speciality, and I thought I might be of assistance to the club," she tells me at the Soccerex football business conference in Manchester. | "I just sent him an email offering to help if I could, because competition law was my area of speciality, and I thought I might be of assistance to the club," she tells me at the Soccerex football business conference in Manchester. |
| "After that we kept in contact and I would send him updates on sport legal issues." | "After that we kept in contact and I would send him updates on sport legal issues." |
| By late 2011 Mr Duchatelet had sold Sint-Truiden and was the owner of leading Belgian club Standard Liege, as well as Carl Zeiss Jena of Germany and AD Alcorcon in Spain. | |
| "He asked me to join him - this was not long before he took over Charlton Athletic - to help the clubs that he owned to network more efficiently with each other," she says. | "He asked me to join him - this was not long before he took over Charlton Athletic - to help the clubs that he owned to network more efficiently with each other," she says. |
| "As a football fan it was a great opportunity." | "As a football fan it was a great opportunity." |
| The trilingual Ms Meire then helped Mr Duchatelet with the actual takeover of the south-east London club. | The trilingual Ms Meire then helped Mr Duchatelet with the actual takeover of the south-east London club. |
| Charlton 'has potential' | Charlton 'has potential' |
| "Charlton was not the only English club we looked at as a potential purchase, but the feeling was that it had the most potential, and also of course a great history," she says. | "Charlton was not the only English club we looked at as a potential purchase, but the feeling was that it had the most potential, and also of course a great history," she says. |
| "The Championship is full of clubs with history, but we felt Charlton has the potential to be a bit bigger than it is." | "The Championship is full of clubs with history, but we felt Charlton has the potential to be a bit bigger than it is." |
| Not long after the takeover she was appointed as a club director, and then as chief executive. | Not long after the takeover she was appointed as a club director, and then as chief executive. |
| She juggles an annual budget of millions of pounds, but is also responsible for the buying and selling of players - while dealing with agents, media, club staff and fans on a regular basis. | She juggles an annual budget of millions of pounds, but is also responsible for the buying and selling of players - while dealing with agents, media, club staff and fans on a regular basis. |
| One of her first tasks was to deal with the overall management of the club, which she said "was in a mess". | One of her first tasks was to deal with the overall management of the club, which she said "was in a mess". |
| That meant sacking a number of club staff, something she was unused to doing and found painful at the time. | That meant sacking a number of club staff, something she was unused to doing and found painful at the time. |
| "But it was done for the right reason, for what we felt was right for Charlton," she adds. | "But it was done for the right reason, for what we felt was right for Charlton," she adds. |
| After tightening the club's financial belt, she says she was "amazed" at some of the commission demands then made to the clubs by players' agents - demands which, in her words, "did not make sense". | After tightening the club's financial belt, she says she was "amazed" at some of the commission demands then made to the clubs by players' agents - demands which, in her words, "did not make sense". |
| "I feel there are far too many agents who get far too much money for what they do," she says, adding that loaning players from Mr Duchatelet's other clubs is a way to avoid excessive agent fees on transfers. | "I feel there are far too many agents who get far too much money for what they do," she says, adding that loaning players from Mr Duchatelet's other clubs is a way to avoid excessive agent fees on transfers. |
| Keeping to a budget | Keeping to a budget |
| Charlton, or the Addicks to their fans, currently sit sixth in the Championship, in a promotion play-off place. | Charlton, or the Addicks to their fans, currently sit sixth in the Championship, in a promotion play-off place. |
| But unlike some other clubs who have broken the bank to get into the Premier League, she advocates "sensible spending". | But unlike some other clubs who have broken the bank to get into the Premier League, she advocates "sensible spending". |
| "The most important thing is stability and for Charlton fans to know that their team is going to be there playing at the Valley every two weeks," says Ms Meire. | "The most important thing is stability and for Charlton fans to know that their team is going to be there playing at the Valley every two weeks," says Ms Meire. |
| As an example of that financial sense, she says the recently closed transfer window presented a dilemma over whether to chase players the club would like to have in an ideal world or to stop spending "before we reached financial breaking point". | As an example of that financial sense, she says the recently closed transfer window presented a dilemma over whether to chase players the club would like to have in an ideal world or to stop spending "before we reached financial breaking point". |
| "We decided to only spend to our pre-agreed budget and not to overstretch ourselves," she says, adding that the situation would be reviewed again in the January transfer window. | "We decided to only spend to our pre-agreed budget and not to overstretch ourselves," she says, adding that the situation would be reviewed again in the January transfer window. |
| Coming from Belgium, she says it was a surprise to encounter the all-powerful British football manager, who not only picks the team but also buys the players, something unknown on mainland Europe. | Coming from Belgium, she says it was a surprise to encounter the all-powerful British football manager, who not only picks the team but also buys the players, something unknown on mainland Europe. |
| Having installed countryman Bob Peeters as head coach in May 2014, she and Mr Duchatelet now look for suitable players, with the coach getting "an input". | Having installed countryman Bob Peeters as head coach in May 2014, she and Mr Duchatelet now look for suitable players, with the coach getting "an input". |
| Connecting with fans | Connecting with fans |
| Apart from the monetary side, another prime objective is to build strong relations with the fans. | Apart from the monetary side, another prime objective is to build strong relations with the fans. |
| The Charlton Athletic Community Trust strives to give the club a strong presence in the local community. | |
| "They can help us bring more people into the ground, reach out to young people and help us to make contacts with local businesses too," says Ms Meire. | "They can help us bring more people into the ground, reach out to young people and help us to make contacts with local businesses too," says Ms Meire. |
| On the issue of whether there should be more places made available for women at football's top executive levels, she says: "I am not a believer in positive discrimination. | On the issue of whether there should be more places made available for women at football's top executive levels, she says: "I am not a believer in positive discrimination. |
| "But it might be a good idea to get more football fans involved in the running of clubs, people who have a real genuine love of the game." | "But it might be a good idea to get more football fans involved in the running of clubs, people who have a real genuine love of the game." |